For Tian Yun, who was keeping watch, every day felt like a year. The wait was agonizing.
After what felt like an eternity, a particularly shrill scream suddenly rang out.
Teng Jun was a Peak of Fifth Grade master, after all. Even without deliberately using her Gang Qi, the scream was enough to shake several tiles loose from the roof.
After the scream faded, the bedroom finally fell silent.
âFinally... Is it over?â
Tian Yun let out a long sigh of relief, feeling as if she had finally made it through the ordeal.
But then she felt that something wasnât right. After all, if Teng Jun had successfully broken through to the Fourth Grade, it wouldnât be this quiet. There should have been some other kind of commotion.
CREAK. The door opened, and Zou Feng walked out with a solemn expression on his face.
He had clearly just washed his hands and was wiping them with a towel as he walked.
Tian Yun stared, noticing it wasnât just his handsâthere were damp patches all over Zou Fengâs clothes.
âWhere did all this water come from!?â
At this thought, Tian Yun could barely stop herself from jumping down to ask him directly.
But she was no ordinary woman and quickly composed herself.
âWhen breaking through to a new Realm, itâs perfectly normal to be drenched in sweat from cultivating at oneâs limit.â
âMy worry is getting the best of me, making my mind jump to the wrong conclusions...â
"Zou Lang, what about Teng Zhenchuan...?"
Since Zou Feng had left the bedroom, there was no longer a need to keep watch. Tian Yun floated lightly down from the roof.
"She failed!"
Zou Feng shook his head. "Teng Zhenchuan was a little too hasty. Her preparations werenât thorough enough..."
"Thatâs not it!"
Before Zou Feng could finish speaking, Teng Jun walked out as well.
Although her face showed a hint of fatigue, she appeared to be largely unharmed.
In fact, she looked even more radiant than before.
On the surface, at least, Zou Feng was the one who looked more exhausted of the two.
This made Tian Yun feel uneasy all over again.
"A breakthrough canât be achieved overnight. This was just a preliminary test, allowing me to better familiarize myself with the Blood Begoniaâs poison."
"Of course, it was also thanks to Doctor Zouâs âmarvelous handsâ that I was able to make this attempt." As Teng Jun spoke, there was absolutely no hint of dejection from her failed breakthrough.
It was as if she had expected this outcome all along.
âZou Feng had thought Teng Jun was simply ill-prepared. But listening to her now, had she never intended to succeed on the first try?â
Recalling the situation, the amount of Blood Begonia poison Teng Jun had introduced was indeed insufficient.
During the process, it wasnât just him suppressing the poisonâs effects; Teng Jun had been resisting it herself as well.
This prevented the "Blood Begonia" from ever reaching the point of "blossoming and bearing fruit."
âSo, Teng Jun planned on trying this several more times? To wait until her body adapted to the Blood Begonia poison for a more stable breakthrough?â
"Iâll have to trouble you for a while, Doctor Zou!" With that, Teng Jun turned to Tian Yun. "And Iâll have to trouble you as well..."
She didnât finish her sentence, but Tian Yun knew exactly what she meant. She was expected to stand guard during Teng Junâs future attempts as well.
âShameless!â
In the end, Tian Yun didnât say the word aloud.
âAfter all, her Zou Lang was helping the woman with her breakthrough, and they had already been compensated...â
Zou Feng didnât mind helping a few more times, but the problem was that Wang Wenjing could show up at any moment.
Teng Jun sensed Zou Fengâs hesitation and said confidently, "Doctor Zou, you neednât worry too much about my junior sister. I donât keep those handmaidens of mine for show!"
"Every one of them can serve as my body double. My junior sister will have to waste a great deal of effort just to determine which one is real. Sheâll likely have to verify each one in person..."
Although he didnât know what specific methods Teng Jun had employed, it was obvious that her so-called handmaidens had all become sacrificial pawns.
The fact that Wang Wenjing had managed to find Teng Jun before was likely a stroke of lottery-winning Luck.
But repeating that kind of Luck wouldnât be so easy.
Not unless she managed to clear out most of the "doubles," anyway...
For now, it seemed this was the only way.
While acting as Teng Junâs Guardian, Zou Feng had also managed to complete the Refinement of a portion of the Blood Begonia, which was, in fact, a form of Cultivation for him.
The Blood Begonia was truly extraordinary. In that short time, it had increased his progress in the Five Poison Fire Lotus Skill by two percent.
It was now at 37%.
For a Cultivation Skill at the Peak Realm, this was a considerable amount of progress.
"Since Iâll be imposing on you both for the foreseeable future, itâs inconvenient not to have a plausible identity." Teng Jun tilted her head in thought for a moment, then her face lit up with an idea. "How about... I pose as Doctor Zouâs concubine?"
Before Tian Yun could voice an objection, Zou Feng quickly waved his hand dismissively. "Teng Zhenchuan, that... wouldnât be appropriate. We should just tell people youâre my cousin!"
Teng Jun didnât insist on her original proposal, but her expression clearly showed that she found his suggestion rather dull.
"Itâs about time for dinner..."
As he said this, Zou Feng prepared to cook. He had originally planned to make a few side dishes to celebrate with Tian Yun, as he had just achieved the Peak of Perfection in another one of his Cultivation Skills.
But before he could even step into the kitchen, a sudden sense of alarm shot through him.
Without a shred of hesitation, Zou Feng instantly flashed to Tian Yunâs side, on full alert.
"Senior Sister, Iâve had such a hard time finding you!"
A sorrowful voice drifted over, sounding as if it were being whispered right in their ears, yet the uninvited guest was nowhere in sight.
The smile on Teng Junâs face froze solid the moment she heard the voice.
But she quickly regained her composure and sneered, "Such impressive skills, Junior Sister. Who would have thought that the pathetic little girl who only knew how to act pitiful would reach such heights!"
"Heh, but isnât it all thanks to my Senior Sisterâs diligent âguidanceâ? Otherwise, how could I, your Junior Sister, be where I am today..."